London — Four women speaking to CBS News' partner network the BBC have accused actor and band frontman Jared Leto of criminal sexual conduct when they were teenagers.One woman said the Oscar-winning actor and "Thirty Seconds to Mars" band frontman sexually assaulted her in a motel when she was 17, while another told the BBC said she had sex with Leto in California when she was the same age — which would qualify as statutory rape.A third woman told the BBC that Leto threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 while she was alone with him in a hotel room.Another alleges the star groomed her as a teenager, on one occasion suggesting they should have sex.Others say they received sexual phone calls or lewd comments from Leto.
In total, 10 women spoke to the BBC for the documentary, Jared Leto: Hollywood's Dark Secret, including nine who said they were sharing their stories for the first time.The women all say they encountered Leto when he was in his 30s and 40s, between 2002 and 2016.He is now 54."This was 25 years ago … he has gotten away with it," one of his accusers said.
CBS News has not independently corroborated the accusations, and did not receive an immediate response from Leto's representatives to a request for a response to the allegations.Leto has been plagued by allegations of sexual misconduct for years, but has denied all wrongdoing.No criminal charges have ever been filed against him.Two men who worked with Thirty Seconds to Mars, Leto's band, told the BBC that staff were uncomfortable about his interactions with teenage girls, saying he occasionally invited them to his dressing room or to the house where the band was recording. The BBC said it corroborated several of the women's accounts with family and friends who were aware of the interactions with Leto at the time.
The network also said it viewed pictures and messages supporting the women's claims."I think everyone thought the age gap ...